Monday, February 19, 2018

It would be an interesting resource to bring into a math
classroom especially when doing geometry but not necessarily only limited to mathematics.
This book presents four varying shapes on a page and asks the viewer to select
which one doesn’t belong.

There is no wrong answer.

Each shape has some feature that makes it distinct from the
others. This promotes critical, analytical thinking and rationalizing skills as
students look to justify their answers.

There is a teacher’s guide that I haven’t seen yet but the
publisher’s information suggests that it will promote mathematical thinking
across many grades going beyond the obvious geometry connections.

I do think the student book is quite clever in the way it
gets the viewer to work through the reasoning behind their selections but then
also to see how the other shapes are different in their own ways. I see this as
good (and fun) practice for developing logic thinking skills.

I’m recommending this for elementary and middle grades. I have hopes that the
teacher’s guide will have suggestions to use with high school students.

Monday, February 5, 2018

I love This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary,
a quiet reverie about a little girl using and enjoying her imagination.

Everything from a box becoming a boat that lets her sail the
high seas, to imagining that her dresses have feeling which could be hurt if
they knew she had a favorite, to being a mermaid, a wolf boy, and a fairy tale
hero, she's been there, done that and bought the t-shirt. Her life is filled with colourful characters and play.

“But more than anything she likes stories, because you can
make them from nothing at all.”

Isn’t that the best?

This reminded me of a few other titles that also showcase
the wonder and power of imagination.

Monday, January 22, 2018

I’ve two recommendations for today’s post that promote
understanding for what it’s like to be Blackin the
United States today.

The first one is by Jason Reynolds’,Long Way Down.
This story takes place in an elevator as it descends seven floors in an
apartment building and Will, the protagonist, is on his way to avenge the death
of his older brother Shawn. He’s
struggling with THE RULES that govern the lives of black men and boys in his
big city neighbourhood: No Crying – No Snitching – Get Revenge. As the elevator
goes down seven floors, seven ghosts who
knew Will and his family and experienced gun violence too, visit Will and offer
subtle guidance that will help him make up his mind about his next set of
actions.

Jason Reynolds is a fantastic writer. This story, told in
narrative verse, took me to a place that I had no way of knowing about and gave
me a glimpse into the mind of a young man like Will. Reading about gun violence
and gang-related murder in the news does not provide much insight as to how
this kind of thing continues to be perpetuated. It’s the strength of a novel like this that
allows me to feel the pain and the hopelessness that must consume young black men when they
feel that have no choice but to live by THE RULES.

The next book, The Hate U Give by Angie
Thomas has been getting lots of well-deserved attention in review journals and
blogs. It was a National Book Award Finalist. Again, this story puts the news reports that we hear nightly, into a
perspective that is totally relatable and gives new resonance for the Black
Lives Matter movement.

Starr is a sixteen year-old high school student who lives in
a poor, black neighbourhood but goes to a predominately white school in
another part of town. She’s working out how to mesh the two people she must be
to live in two vastly different universes. When a friend, a young, black man,
Khalil is shot by a white police office while with Starr one night, everything
changes.

By telling people, school mates, police, journalists and
neighbours about what happened that night puts Starr in a precarious situation.
Those fighting for the rights of black people see this as
an opportunity to create awareness and demand justice. Those in positions of
power are cautious about the information Starr provides as it will jeopardize
the police officer. Starr fears that if her classmates know she is the witness
that will jeopardize her place in the school.The desire to do the right thing is strong and eventually overcomes Starr's fears.

Again, this was a compelling story that opened a world that
I will never experience firsthand. There is considerable profanity (tons
of f-bombs) used by almost all the characters but this made it feel very
authentic. The ending is also very realistic, sadly.

I highly recommend both of these books for grades 9 and up and for adults. Amazing reads!

Monday, January 15, 2018

Right now I’m in the middle of teaching workshops about
Design Thinking to second year student-teachers. This is a thinking process
that promotes creative and innovative thinking as well as collaborative
practices. It’s being taken up by some of the school boards in the Calgary area
so it’s a hot topic, as you might imagine, and on my mind.

(Today’s posting isn’t really about design thinking so if
you’re keen to learning more about Design Thinking and education you might like
to visit a library guide, developed by the Doucette Library, called, funnily
enough, Design Thinking.)

It’s 1917 and Britain is at risk of being cut off from crucial
supplies of food brought in by ships. German U-boats were very skilled at
targeting ships that supported the United Kingdom. As the book states, “desperate times call for
desperate measures” and innovative thinking was essential to overcoming these devastating
loses.

Norman Wilkinson, a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve lieutenant-commander,
had a seemingly bizarre idea – camouflaging the ships. By painting ships with
an array of dazzling patterns and colours, it would break up the ship’s form on
the ocean’s waters, presenting an image so confusing that it would be difficult
to track.

“Dazzle was meant to
make the Germans think a ship was, for example, turning toward the west when it
was actually headed to the southeast.”

A small workforce (of mostly women) was organized to come up
with patterns which were tested out to determine which were the most effective
at tricking the eye. Thousands of British and American ships had be ‘dazzled’
by the end of the war. Though,
determining whether the dazzling really did save ships from being torpedoed is
debatable, it did booster the morale of the sailors on those ships.

I love the sentiment that is summed up in the book :

“a willingness to tackle problems by trying the unlikely, the
improbable, the seemingly bonkers will always be needed.”

The material at the back of the book, author’s and
illustrator’s notes, a timeline and reference list provide additional
information for research purposes. I thought that the author’s notes about
researching and writing about this book of special interest and would be
instructive to students about this process.

I recommend this book for grades 4-7 for social studies,
art, and science. Because it’s so interdisciplinary it’s perfect for STEAM
classrooms.

Monday, January 8, 2018

Nothing like starting off the new year with some of the big
questions in life.

InWhy Am I Here?by Constance Orbeck-Nilssen and Akin
Duzakin, introduces
us to a very thoughtful child (might be a boy or a girl), who wonders about some of these kinds of questions:

Why am I here?

Why am I in this place?

What if I was in a different place? Would I be different,
too?

What if I lived in a city? Or a city with a war going on?

Or live in the desert? Or a place with ocean and
melting icebergs?

What if I had to move?

After pondering these and many other deep questions, he or
she ends up deciding,

Why am
I me, and not someone else?

And why
am I here?

Maybe
that’s how it is –

I am my
own house.

And I
will be at home

Wherever
I am.

The illustrations are perfectly suited for this
introspective book that induces a kind of calm while thinking about topics that
might be scary such as living in a place where there is conflict. There is a
softness in the rendering with a muted palette of colours encouraging quiet
contemplation.

Besides being a discussion starter for general conversations about life, our place in the world and our purpose, there are curriculum connections to be found in social studies and language arts. Also, a book that could be a way to approach learning about empathy, too.

Great book to pair with a Stormy Night by
Michele Lemieux that also poses questions that can keep one up at night.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Whatever holiday you may be celebrating this winter, Paula and I wanted to give readers some help finding some new book treasures to be shared and cherished. We found many books that were tickle-your-funny-bone funny, awe-inspiring, or beautiful. We also included a few titles with heavier themes (see YA novel section) but it's not all doom-gloom and dysfunction.As I mentioned in yesterday's post, here's the line up for the week:

Today - Picture Books

Tomorrow - Middle Grade Fiction & Graphic Novels

Thursday - High School Fiction & Classic Parodies

Friday - Non-fiction (all ages)All books listed here have been linked to the Indigo Books website. Paula and I spent a morning recently pouring over books and sipping festive beverages at a nearby store with the thought that these books would be easy for everyone to find at their own local bookstores. If you can't make it out to shop them maybe try the buying them online.Happy holiday reading, Everyone!DAY 4 - NONFICTION
(Days 1-3 are below just scroll down.)

Today is the last of our lists. We hope you found something that will make a great gift for someone or perhaps, even yourself. You could always check out the lists from 2015 and 2016 if you want additional recommendations. Paula and I saw many of the books previously listed, in Indigo so it's not too late to snag one those books. Happy reading, Everyone.

We Three Kings … Real Boys

Although not only for boys, the following three books are the non-fiction writings of men who have unique stories to tell. Science, space and hockey – three popular subjects and not without controversy. Buying one of these books for someone in your life will spark some great conversations.

Although not always politically correct, these books will capitalize on creating a feminine powerhouse of your gift recipient. These books are about being in charge of your life and how you live it. #GirlPower

Why? Why? Why? Here is a list of books that may appeal to those people in your life who love trivia and question how the world works. All of these are great for browsing and some have very engaging book designs for younger readers.

We wish you a…Weird, Wonderful and Wacked Feats of Engineering (various ages)

As much as humans are capable of solving problems they are also good at creating them, as well. The following selection will make you wonder and gasp at humankind’s capacity for innovative thinking, and outrageous foolishness.

You can make spirits bright by supplying books about how to do something. These kind of books appeal to all ages and sometimes you are doing something right to the book or following instructions within the book. No matter how it works, it works. For the “doers” on your list, check out a these selections.

The following is a very short list of some current reads for teens about contemporary life. These kids are dealing with issues related to who they are, their sexuality, their family and friends, and how they get on in the world at large. You know… just the usual stuff.

Is spending time with your teen making you re-think modern society and it’s very survival? Do you want to intercept their line of vision before it sinks back to SnapChat and Instagram? These fantasy and sci-fi choices will have your teen reading and taking on all the qualities of the human you love.

Only two books in this section but they are both special. Each one would be wonderful for the historical fiction reader in your circle. From the deathly seriousness of Auschwitz and how life secretly is contained within its walls to a funny character-driven tour-de-force in 18th century Europe, these two books will appeal to a reader you may know.

Where all of the animals gather to get warm and nourished. Settle in with Rover or Kitty with a few festive treats for both of you and read a great animal story. Animal stories are favourites among the middle grade set. You may want to take turns with a read aloud or let your young person just enjoy some down time reading during the holidays. Either way, these books are bound to become favourites.

Everyone has someone on his or her list who would love to read a story in comic form.Some are colour comics, some black and white but there is always a great story to read and enjoy.So grab a hot chocolate and curl up with one of these.

*We have a couple more graphic novels to recommend but they're more appropriate for teens. Please check out tomorrow's list.

Thefollowing books all have some aspect of beauty that make them stand out. It might be the illustrations of which you will see a range of styles or it might be found in the meaning of the text about appreciating what we have and taking notice of what and who are in our lives.

Hahaha, and these books are sure to
make for a funny, comfortable and cozy story time at the end of a long winter’s
night. These picture books are sure to
please the kids (up to grade 3) and even the adult readers too. Have a laugh together and enjoy some wacky
stories and illustrations that never get old.

Winter is a great time to get all snuggled in with a good book. But why not feel even more cocoon when reading about winter while it's cold and snowy outside? Here are a few recommendations that will give you this satisfaction and a few belly laughs along the way.

Here are a few collections of stories or
poetry that may appeal to you when you want to buy just one book but get lots
for reading for your money.Some
classics, some not-so-classic, there may be a collection here that is right for
your special recipient.

Do you have a
builder, a doer, a maker, a hands-on kind of little person? Are you buying for someone who may not sit
still for a conventional story but would love to name every kind of tool in the
toolbox? Here are a few good picks to
share with your young person.

Search This Blog

About Me

I am the reference coordinator at The Doucette Library of Teaching Resources, a curriculum library in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.
I love connecting education students and teachers with engaging and exciting resources for classroom teaching. I believe that resources that get me excited (or those that get you excited) are the ones with the best potential to get kids interested in learning about - well, everything. Finding those books that connect to the real world are the ones I enjoy promoting the most.